Saturday, March 02, 2013

Delicious Dinners from Appetite for Reduction

I really love making new recipes that I've never made before. It's a bit like traveling to a new city, full of new experiences. Whenever I get a new cookbook, there is a sense of such potential - all these new recipes to explore and experience! But, there is also a special joy in discovering great new recipes from cookbooks I already know and love.

Appetite for Reduction (by Isa Chandra Moskowitz) has been one of my favorite books from the day I got it. It's full of delicious, lower-calorie meals that are weeknight-friendly. It is my go-to book for times when I just need some tasty meals that don't take too much time or energy. In fact, I just bought a copy for my mom, because even though my parents aren't vegan, I know they'll appreciate the delicious and easy meals.

And yet, even with such affection for this great tome...

there are still many recipes in AfR that I have yet to try

So, I decided to buckle down and start trying some new recipes from this old fave...

Baked Falafel Salad

I had made the AfR baked falafels once before, just a few months ago, but somehow I missed her suggestion to make a falafel salad. What a great idea! Instead of canned beans, I used chickpeas that had soaked for 24 hours (then I cooked up all the rest of the soaked chickpeas, as you'll see in a second!) I threw in some extra parsley to the falafel mix, because I like my falafels green. I love this recipe so much that I made a double batch, and we actually had falafel salad twice.

I made a lemon juice- tahini - unsweetened yogurt -garlic - hot sauce (+pinch of salt) dressing to go on top. So super good and delicious. The salad was quite simple: baby romaine, english cucumber, fresh tomatoes, red onion, and scallions.

Chickpea Piccata with Caulipots over Arugula

(now you see the chickpeas getting put to use!)

Okay, technically, I had made this once before, but it was a long time ago. For some reason, Mr. Vegan Eats & Treats was very skeptical about this dish, but he ended up loving it. Duh! I don't know what he was so afraid of - he loves capers, loves mashed potatoes, loves arugula, loves cauliflower... it seemed like a pretty great fit to me! The whole combo of the mega-flavor Chickpea Piccata with the quiet, smooth Caulipots (cauliflower + potatoes), and the fresh zip of the arugula is totally great. Everything goes so nicely together.

2nd Avenue Vegetable Korma

Next up, I made the 2nd Ave. Vegetable Korma - which makes a ginormous vat of veggies in a light curry-coconut broth. I also made some white rice (under all those veggies!) to go with it. Mr VE&T loved this one so much. Again, I think he was particularly won over by all that cauliflower. I was just sorta "meh" on this one at first. I think next time I will really amp up the spices. However, after a generous dosage of fresh lime juice (3 cheers for my lime tree!) and some enthusiastic splurts of Sriracha sauce, I was quite happy with this dinner.

Curried Chickpeas and Greens

(still more chickpeas!)

YUM YUM YUM. This dinner was a huge hit with both of us, and it also made four huge, filling servings. (It says 6 servings, but that is for demure people who don't want to stuff their faces full of veggie goodness.) Alongside the main dish is some fluffy Trader Joe's 10-minute brown rice.
Plus, some fresh lime. You just gotta have lime.

Even Mr. loved it, which is amazing for someone who often reminds me that he doesn't really like chickpeas OR kale. ha! Victory!! I totally loved how delicious and filling and nutritious and all-round great this recipe was, and I can't wait to make it again. It's definitely a new staple for me.

12 comments:

I like AfR, too, but haven't cooked form it lately, either. The piccata is definitely one of my favourites. The mango BBQ beans, too. And the Red Lentil and Root Veggie Dal, White Bean, Quinoa and Kale Stew with Fennel, Braised Cabbage with Seitan Sausage and Smoky Tempeh and Green Stew. I forgot there were so many great recipes. :)

Yeahhh AfR is so great! I feel like I cook LESS from Isa's books because I KNOW I'll love pretty much everything so I don't even try it to test it out, ha. The 2nd Ave Korma is GREAT. I also love the sweet potato biscuits...40 clove broccoli...manhattan Glam chowder...oh so many things. Oh! The Goddess Nicoise salad is a game changer. Yeah. Lotsa.

AFR is easily one of the Great Cookbooks. All of the salads are excellent, and we usually have a jar of Caesar Chavez Dressing in the fridge. This post is a fun chance to read about what others have cooked and enjoyed; after all, now and then it's good to move beyond Chickpeas Piccata. This book has so many recipes that alone are well worth the purchase price.

Appetite For Reduction is my go-to cookbook too. I love it! I've made the falafel before too but never the falafel salad and I keep re-making the Chickpea Piccata, it's so easy & delicious. I also really love the Irish Stew with Potatoes and Seitan and the Udon Stir Fry with Beans and Greens.